Euripides, Rhesus, Edward P. Coleridge (Translator), 1

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Chorus

Enter the Chorus of Trojan guards. Go to Hector’s couch. Which of you squires that tend the prince, or you armor-clad men, is awake? He ought to receive fresh tidings
1

from the warriors who were set to guard the assembled army during the fourth watch of the night. Calls to Hector in the tent. Lift up your head! Prop your arm beneath it! Unseal that fierce eye from its repose; quit your lowly couch of scattered leaves,
5

Hector! It is time to hearken.
10

Hector

Who is this? Is it a friend who calls? Who are you? Your password? Speak! Who are these who come near my couch in the night? You must tell me.

Chorus

Sentinels of the army.
15

Hector

Why this tumultuous haste?

Chorus

Be of good courage.

Hector

I am.

Is there some midnight ambush?

Chorus

No.

Hector

Why do you desert your post and rouse the army, unless you have some tidings of the night?

Are you not aware how near the Argive army we take our night’s repose clad in all our armor?
20

Rhesus. Euripides. Edward P. Coleridge (Translator). London. 1906.

Sponsored by Perseus Project, Tufts University.

Funding provided by The Annenberg CPB/Project.

Current edition Perseus

Rhesus (English) (Euripides. The Plays of Euripides, Vol. I. Coleridge, Edward P., translator. London: George Bell and Sons, 1906. (Modernized by Perseus.))

Editions (1)

Ῥῆσος Perseus (Euripides. Euripidis Fabulae, Vol. III. Murray, Gilbert, editor. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1913. (Reprinted 1920-1978)) — 1 focus

Χορός

— Βᾶθι πρὸς εὐνὰς τὰς Ἑκτορέους.
1

τίς ὑπασπιστῶν ἄγρυπνος βασιλέως,

ἢ τευχοφόρων;

— δέξαιτο νέων κληδόνα μύθων,

οἳ τετράμοιρον νυκτὸς φυλακὴν
5

πάσης στρατιᾶς προκάθηνται.

— ὄρθου κεφαλὴν πῆχυν ἐρείσας,

λῦσον βλεφάρων γοργωπὸν ἕδραν,

λεῖπε χαμεύνας φυλλοστρώτους,

Ἕκτορ· καιρὸς γὰρ ἀκοῦσαι.
10

Ἕκτωρ

τίς ὅδʼ; ἦ φίλιος φθόγγος· τίς ἀνήρ;

τί τὸ σῆμα; θρόει·

τίνες ἐκ νυκτῶν τὰς ἡμετέρας

κοίτας πλάθουσʼ; ἐνέπειν χρή.

Χορός

φύλακες στρατιᾶς.
15

Ἕκτωρ

τί φέρῃ θορύβῳ;

Χορός

θάρσει.

Ἕκτωρ

θαρσῶ.

μῶν τις λόχος ἐκ νυκτῶν;

Χορός

οὐκ ἔστι.

Ἕκτωρ

τί σὺ γὰρ

φυλακὰς προλιπὼν κινεῖς στρατιάν,

εἰ μή τινʼ ἔχων νυκτηγορίαν;

οὐκ οἶσθα δορὸς πέλας Ἀργείου
20

νυχίαν ἡμᾶς

κοίταν πανόπλους κατέχοντας;

Translations (2)

Rhesus Perseus (Euripides. The Rhesus of Euripides. Murray, Gilbert, translator. London: George Allen and Company, Ltd., 1913.) — 1 focus

¹³⁴⁵

VARIOUS VOICES.
It is a cloudy but moonlight night on the plain before Troy . The Trojans and their allies have won a decisive victory and are camping on the open field close to the Greek outposts. The scene is in front of a rude tent or hut that has been set up for HECTOR, the Trojan leader. A watch-fire burns low in front. Far off at the back can be seen rows of watch-fires in the Greek camp. The road to Troy is in front to the left; the road to Mount Ida leads far away to the right. All is silence; then a noise outside. Enter tumultuously a band of Trojan Pickets.⁶

On to the Prince’s quarters!—Ho!
1

Who is awake? What man-at-arms,

Or squire or groom?—Let Hector know

New rumour of alarms

From sentinels who stand at mark

The four long watches of the dark,
5

While others sleep.—Uplift thine head,

O Hector! On thine elbow rise,

Unhood the eagle of thine eyes,

Up from thy leaf-strewn bed!—

Lord Hector!
10

HECTOR
(coming out from the tent).

Who goes there? Who cries?

A friend? The watchword! . . . By what right

Do men come prowling in the night

Across my quarters? Come! Speak out.

LEADER.

A picket, Lord.
15

HECTOR.

In such a rout?

LEADER.

Be not afraid, Lord.

HECTOR.

I am not.

Is there an ambush? No? Then what,

In God’s name, brings you from your post

With no clear tale to speak,

To spread this turmoil through a host

That lies in harness—do ye all
20

Know nothing?—out against the wall

And gateways of the Greek?

Rhesus (OCR draft) Experimental (Rhesus. Robert Potter's English verse translation, first published in 1781–1783; text from the 1808 Oxford printing.)

No corresponding passage available

Notes on the current edition

Rhesus

Dramatis Personae

Chorus

Hector

Aeneas

Dolon

Messenger

Rhesus

Odysseus

Diomedes

Athena

Paris

Charioteer

Muse

Euripides Rhesus 1

Edward P. Coleridge (Translator)

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Hector

Who is this? Is it a friend who calls? Who are you? Your password? Speak! Who are these who come near my couch in the night? You must tell me.

Chorus

Sentinels of the army.
15

Hector

Why this tumultuous haste?

Chorus

Be of good courage.

Hector

I am.

Is there some midnight ambush?

Chorus

No.

Hector

Why do you desert your post and rouse the army, unless you have some tidings of the night?

Are you not aware how near the Argive army we take our night’s repose clad in all our armor?
20

Current edition Perseus

Ἕκτωρ

τίς ὅδʼ; ἦ φίλιος φθόγγος· τίς ἀνήρ;

τί τὸ σῆμα; θρόει·

τίνες ἐκ νυκτῶν τὰς ἡμετέρας

κοίτας πλάθουσʼ; ἐνέπειν χρή.

Χορός

φύλακες στρατιᾶς.
15

Ἕκτωρ

τί φέρῃ θορύβῳ;

Χορός

θάρσει.

Ἕκτωρ

θαρσῶ.

μῶν τις λόχος ἐκ νυκτῶν;

Χορός

οὐκ ἔστι.

Ἕκτωρ

τί σὺ γὰρ

φυλακὰς προλιπὼν κινεῖς στρατιάν,

εἰ μή τινʼ ἔχων νυκτηγορίαν;

οὐκ οἶσθα δορὸς πέλας Ἀργείου
20

νυχίαν ἡμᾶς

κοίταν πανόπλους κατέχοντας;

HECTOR
(coming out from the tent).

Who goes there? Who cries?

A friend? The watchword! . . . By what right

Do men come prowling in the night

Across my quarters? Come! Speak out.

LEADER.

A picket, Lord.
15

HECTOR.

In such a rout?

LEADER.

Be not afraid, Lord.

HECTOR.

I am not.

Is there an ambush? No? Then what,

In God’s name, brings you from your post

With no clear tale to speak,

To spread this turmoil through a host

That lies in harness—do ye all
20

Know nothing?—out against the wall

And gateways of the Greek?

Notes on the current edition

Stable identifiers

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

Hector Who is this? Is it a friend who calls? Who are you? Your password? Speak! Who are these who come near my couch in the night? You must tell me.

Chorus Sentinels of the army. 15

Hector Why this tumultuous haste?

Chorus Be of good courage.

Hector I am. Is there some midnight ambush?

Chorus No.

Hector Why do you desert your post and rouse the army, unless you have some tidings of the night? Are you not aware how near the Argive army we take our night’s repose clad in all our armor? 20

Current edition Perseus

Ἕκτωρ τίς ὅδʼ; ἦ φίλιος φθόγγος· τίς ἀνήρ; τί τὸ σῆμα; θρόει· τίνες ἐκ νυκτῶν τὰς ἡμετέρας κοίτας πλάθουσʼ; ἐνέπειν χρή.

Χορός φύλακες στρατιᾶς. 15

Ἕκτωρ τί φέρῃ θορύβῳ;

Χορός θάρσει.

Ἕκτωρ θαρσῶ. μῶν τις λόχος ἐκ νυκτῶν;

Χορός οὐκ ἔστι.

Ἕκτωρ τί σὺ γὰρ φυλακὰς προλιπὼν κινεῖς στρατιάν, εἰ μή τινʼ ἔχων νυκτηγορίαν; οὐκ οἶσθα δορὸς πέλας Ἀργείου 20 νυχίαν ἡμᾶς κοίταν πανόπλους κατέχοντας;

HECTOR (coming out from the tent). Who goes there? Who cries? A friend? The watchword! . . . By what right Do men come prowling in the night Across my quarters? Come! Speak out.

LEADER. A picket, Lord. 15

HECTOR. In such a rout?

LEADER. Be not afraid, Lord.

HECTOR. I am not. Is there an ambush? No? Then what, In God’s name, brings you from your post With no clear tale to speak, To spread this turmoil through a host That lies in harness—do ye all 20 Know nothing?—out against the wall And gateways of the Greek?

Notes on the current edition

Stable identifiers

Hector

Who is this? Is it a friend who calls? Who are you? Your password? Speak! Who are these who come near my couch in the night? You must tell me.

Chorus

Sentinels of the army.
15

Hector

Why this tumultuous haste?

Chorus

Be of good courage.

Hector

I am.

Is there some midnight ambush?

Chorus

No.

Hector

Why do you desert your post and rouse the army, unless you have some tidings of the night?

Are you not aware how near the Argive army we take our night’s repose clad in all our armor?
20

Ἕκτωρ

τίς ὅδʼ; ἦ φίλιος φθόγγος· τίς ἀνήρ;

τί τὸ σῆμα; θρόει·

τίνες ἐκ νυκτῶν τὰς ἡμετέρας

κοίτας πλάθουσʼ; ἐνέπειν χρή.

Χορός

φύλακες στρατιᾶς.
15

Ἕκτωρ

τί φέρῃ θορύβῳ;

Χορός

θάρσει.

Ἕκτωρ

θαρσῶ.

μῶν τις λόχος ἐκ νυκτῶν;

Χορός

οὐκ ἔστι.

Ἕκτωρ

τί σὺ γὰρ

φυλακὰς προλιπὼν κινεῖς στρατιάν,

εἰ μή τινʼ ἔχων νυκτηγορίαν;

οὐκ οἶσθα δορὸς πέλας Ἀργείου
20

νυχίαν ἡμᾶς

κοίταν πανόπλους κατέχοντας;

HECTOR
(coming out from the tent).

Who goes there? Who cries?

A friend? The watchword! . . . By what right

Do men come prowling in the night

Across my quarters? Come! Speak out.

LEADER.

A picket, Lord.
15

HECTOR.

In such a rout?

LEADER.

Be not afraid, Lord.

HECTOR.

I am not.

Is there an ambush? No? Then what,

In God’s name, brings you from your post

With no clear tale to speak,

To spread this turmoil through a host

That lies in harness—do ye all
20

Know nothing?—out against the wall

And gateways of the Greek?